


Pup

by LeDiz



Series: The 48: Inuyasha [1]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, Family, Family you Choose, Inuyasha's insecurities, Pack, Post-Series, fox demon brats, very unfinished
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 21:18:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8343163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeDiz/pseuds/LeDiz
Summary: Shippo didn't mean to reject the pack, but now he has and... he doesn't know how to take it back...





	

“I smell dog.”

Shippo blinked, then sniffed as well. It wasn’t just any dog – Inuyasha had been by here recently. Very recently.

Something warm coiled in his stomach, even as he joined the other foxes in frowning. Inuyasha knew he was taking his exam, so he was risking abject humiliation to be around here. And there was no other fresh smells, so he was here alone. He had to have come for Shippo’s sake.

He clutched his marking, suddenly looking forward to showing off his improved rank.

“Not just any dog,” one of his new friends said, lip curling. “That’s a dog demon.”

“Powerful one, too,” another commented.

“But you smell that? Human stink,” the third pointed out. “Looks like _some_ body’s got a _master_.”

Shippo blinked, then smirked. He wouldn’t have necessarily called Kagome a ‘master’ but if you wanted to think of it that way… But he knew that wasn’t what they were smelling. They just couldn’t imagine a half-demon being as powerful as Inuyasha. So they were assuming the human smell was –

“Course he does! Stupid dogs can’t ever think for themselves!”

He blinked.

“ _I’ve_ heard,” one of them began, tone scathing, “that dogs are so weak-willed that they can’t live on their own. That they need packs to survive!”

“Packs?” another repeated. “What, you mean like family?”

“No, packs are different,” Shippo found himself interjecting. “They choose to be part of a pack. It’s about protection and knowing who’s in charge and – and –” Love, he wanted to say. It wasn’t like family, which was about raising young until they were old enough. Packs were chosen, unspoken, and for forever.

“Yeah. And if a dog doesn’t have that, they just wander around, useless, until they die!”

The three foxes cackled, and Shippo managed a laugh because it didn’t feel right not to.

“Hah. Who needs it?” the third one said. “Everyone knows you’re only strong if you can stand on your own!”

“I can’t wait until I’m big enough to leave my parents,” the second announced, to a round of approvals. Shippo made the right noises, because he could remember thinking like that. He’d loved his parents, but he’d chafed to be grown up and alone.

“It’s so annoying, being coddled all the time,” the first groused. “It’s not fair, just because we’re young!”

They looked at Shippo, who blanched, suddenly realising they were expecting him to add his opinion. He had to mentally scramble to find something.

“M-maybe, if we get a high enough rank next year, it won’t matter how old we are!” he said, clutching his marking tight against his chest. “Maybe we’ll prove ourselves powerful enough to be alone!”

“Yeah!” they all cheered, like they hadn’t thought of that. “Hey, yeah, you’re right! We better train hard, huh?”

“Keh!”

Shippo froze, and after a beat, so did the others. Slowly, and with several false starts, they all turned, and shrank down under Inuyasha’s imperious look.

“Little foxes like you, thinking you’re strong enough on your own?” he scoffed. “I’d like to see that.”

They all hunched their shoulders, tails dropping between their legs. Inuyasha didn’t have Sesshomaru’s natural arrogance, but he definitely had the spiritual energy to back up his superiority. Shippo openly cringed, because Inuyasha never used the alpha tone on him. Miroku and Sango, sure, but not _him_.

He dared to peek up, and found Inuyasha’s eyes wandering over the four of them. When they met Shippo’s own, it was with a very cool, assessing gaze.

He didn’t say a word. He just turned and began walking away, and Shippo felt the world drop out from under him.

He’d just been dismissed.

It kept him stunned for so long that the others recovered before he did.

“Did you see that?”

“He wasn’t even a full demon!”

“A half-demon, talking down to _us_!”

“We should teach him a lesson.”

“Prank _him_? No way!”

“Why not?”

“H-he’s not worth it!”

“Yeah, you’re right. Totally not worth it.”

Shippo blinked, and then realised he couldn’t feel Inuyasha’s energy anymore. He’d moved too far away. He spun around to look at the others, not caring what they thought anymore. “I better get back. I’ll see you next year, okay?”

“S-sure, Shippo.”

“Yeah! Congratulations again!”

“W-we should g-get going too. S-see you later! Bye everyone!”

They continued their farewells, but Shippo didn’t wait to be polite, sprinting after Inuyasha as fast as his paws could carry him.

He didn’t catch up.

Inuyasha was bigger, taller, and he could jump much farther than Shippo. Normally, he would have waited – let him clamber up onto his hair or shoulder so he could ferry them both back to the village.

But Inuyasha hadn’t wanted to wait, this time.

Shippo would be walking back alone, just like he’d said he wanted.

 

* * *

 

It took him three days.

In that time, he progressed from distressed, to angry, to upset, and now, as he walked up the hill to their village, he was just worried.

He wasn’t sure what he was worried about. He’d spent the better part of the trip telling himself he didn’t care what Inuyasha thought of him. And if he’d gone and blabbed to Kagome, Shippo knew she wouldn’t take it personally. She’d know that all he meant was that he wanted to grow up and be strong, like his father had been. She wasn’t stupid and childish like Inuyasha.

And – and – and it wasn’t like any of the humans would _get_ the rest of it. They didn’t understand how demons worked. Especially not demons like him and Inuyasha. So they’d just think Inuyasha was being childish too.

It – everything would be fine.

He saw Miroku first, sitting on a bench at the edge of the village. He had his eyes closed, so Shippo wasn’t sure he was awake until the monk opened one eye to look at him.

“Ah, Shippo! How did your test go?”

“My… oh! Y-yeah, it was good,” he said, and dug around his clothes until he could find the marking. “I’ve gone up in rank.”

“Ah, congratulations! As expected,” he said, and then leaned over so his staff could point toward the village. “Kagome is in her garden, but Inuyasha has gone fishing. If you see Sango or the girls, please do me a favour and don’t tell them where I am. I was up all night with the boy and need some rest.”

“Uh… right. Sure,” he said. Miroku hadn’t mentioned Inuyasha’s no doubt legendary whining, which was strange. Normally he would have at least rolled his eyes and warned Shippo to behave around him.

But he certainly wasn’t going to bring it up, so Shippo hurried on. Sango was in the village centre, baby on her back and twins playing tag around her feet, but she was busy with the tailor and so only tossed him a warm smile before turning away. The villagers all smiled and called out to him, but for once it didn’t feel right.

Surely someone should have asked what he’d done to Inuyasha, right?

“Kagome!” he wailed as soon as he saw her familiar back, bent over the herb garden with Rin. “Kagome!”

“Shippo! Welcome home!” she cried, turning to accept his flying tackle in a big, warm hug. He found himself clinging to it a little tighter than normal, and she petted his hair. “What’s the matter? Did your test not go well?”

“What?” He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze. She was smiling kindly, like she had no idea… surely Inuyasha mentioned it to her at least, hadn’t he? “N-no, it was great. I went up in rank.”

“Oh, congratulations!” she said, and hugged him tight again. “I knew you would! You’ve gotten so much stronger this year!”

He leaned into her shoulder, peeking over at Rin. She was growing up faster than he was, but in a different way. She looked older, but she wasn’t really much stronger. Humans didn’t grow like them, Inuyasha had explained to him once. They grow steadily for twenty or so years, and then they’re done. How powerful they are is something completely different.

Rin, Inuyasha had said the night Sesshomaru had dropped her off in the village, was strong from the start. She’d probably never have spiritual power or physical strength, but she had the strength to love a demon. That took guts.

“How does it work?” Kagome asked, pulling away from him again. “Do you just keep gaining ranks, or is there a point when you graduate and become a full fox demon?”

Shippo flinched. “Wh-what? Why?”

Kagome frowned, one fine eyebrow disappearing under her hair. “No reason, I’m just curious. Is there something wrong? You seem upset.”

“N-no, I – I –d-did Inuyasha say something?”

“Inuyasha?” she repeated, frown deepening. “No. Why? Did something happen on your way in? Oh, I swear, I’ll –”

“No, I haven’t – haven’t seen him,” he said, and then scrambled out of her arms. “I should go see him. Miroku said he was fishing.”

“Mm, down by the river,” she said. “Shippo, are you sure everything’s alright?”

“Fine! I’ll be back soon, Kagome!”

He would have been out of human hearing when Rin said, “Maybe there’s some demon holiday that has them both acting so strange.”

“Maybe,” Kagome said thoughtfully, and Shippo started running.

 

* * *

 

Inuyasha hadn’t said anything. So maybe he hadn’t really been upset. Maybe everything was fine.

He was obviously finished with fishing by the time Shippo found him; he’d moved on to gutting them, using a knife Sango had given him years ago. The humans always said it was gross when he used his claws.

Everything was fine, Shippo told himself as he ran across the bank. He hadn’t told the others. He mustn’t be that upset.

He launched himself up, but he never reached Inuyasha’s shoulder. A hand shot out and caught him by the front, and he had a split-second view of Inuyasha’s absent scowl before he was gently placed on the ground beside him.

“Welcome, Shippo,” he said evenly.

Welcome. Not welcome home, like he and Kagome normally said. Just… welcome.

Inuyasha didn’t glare or scowl or anything. He didn’t even go back to what he was doing. He just looked at him, patiently, the way he would when the village children stopped him in the street.

Again, the world tilted under Shippo’s feet. He tapped his fingers together, shifting his weight to try and right himself again. But Inuyasha’s blank stare was keeping him off-balance, so in the end he could only blurt out the truth.

“I didn’t know you were there!” he cried. “You were downwind! I didn’t know you’d be listening! I never would’ve –”

The growl was low, to the point that a human wouldn’t have heard it, but it cut Shippo off like a shout. Inuyasha’s expression was still mostly clear, but there was an edge there. And the growl was definitely in his voice as he said, “No one’s throwing you to the wind. You’ll still get fed and protected. Now get out of my sight.”

“Inuyasha –”

“Get,” he snapped, “out. Of my sight.”

Shippo stared at him with watery eyes for as long as he dared, but in the end he had no choice but to turn tail and flee. “Inuyasha, you idiot!”

 

* * *

 

It had taken the better part of a year for them to get to it, but Kagome had discovered that Inuyasha was very snuggly in private. When the lights were out and everyone was gone, Inuyasha was always happiest when they were curled together, skin on skin.

Tonight, though, felt  like more than that. They were both clothed, but he was still draped over her, head pillowed on her breasts. She absently scratched behind his ears, listening to the soft sounds of his breath.

“Stop that,” he mumbled after a while, and pushed her hand away from his ears.

“Hm? Why? I thought you liked it?”

“Not tonight,” he mumbled into her. “Not tonight.”

She frowned. He’d been acting strangely for a few days now, ever since he’d come back from a demon hunt he’d called a waste of time. “Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”

His growl rumbled against her ribs until it abruptly cut off, and he shifted his head to the side to avoid her. Which was something he didn’t do much anymore.

They’d both grown up in the time she’d been in the other world, and then even more in the year since then. Living together in a domestic setting, rather than fighting for their lives on the road, had let them see parts of each other they hadn’t even thought of. And then, again, they found more still when they brought sex into their relationship. As much as she had been seen as a prude in the modern world, here she was downright scandalous. Meanwhile, Inuyasha had a whole host of issues about his body and what he was allowed to do with it that she’d never even _considered_ in four years’ worth of daydreams.

She thought they’d broken down all of that months ago. He still shied away from her when other people were around, but in private he was almost confident. At least relaxed. And he never hid from her anymore.

“Inuyasha,” she called quietly. She wanted to pet his ears, but since it seemed to be bothering him, she just tangled her fingers in his hair, instead. “Please. Tell me what’s wrong.”

He was quiet for a few moments, before he sighed and pushed himself up onto one elbow, where he could look at her. “You don’t want me to be a human, or a demon. You wanted me as a half-demon.”

“I wanted you as you,” she corrected, frowning again. “Whatever that is. Why?”

“Does it…” He stopped, eyes flicking away for a second before coming back. “My father was a dog demon.”

“Yes…?”

“Dog demons have… instincts. Habits. A strong enough one can overcome them, and seem… You wouldn’t have known what kind of demon Sesshomaru is if he hadn’t transformed,” he said slowly. “But I… I can’t… I’m…”

She smiled fondly, reaching up to brush his ear with the tips of her fingers. It flicked away from her touch, making her giggle and reach for it again, even when he pulled back.

“Kagome –”

“You think I don’t like your ears?” she laughed. “Inuyasha, have you met a single human woman who doesn’t want to touch your ears?”

“Kagome,” he said again, and grunted when she finally caught him. His eyelids fluttered as she rubbed them, his lips seemingly unable to keep from smiling. “It’s not – it’s not about the ears.”

“It should be about the ears,” she said, and twisted around until she could swing a leg over and straddle him. She wasn’t making it anything more, but it was easier to reach this way, and kept them in the contact he enjoyed. “They’re wonderful ears.”

“What about the teeth?” he pressed, and she blinked, some of her humour fading as she looked at him again. His own smile was twisting away. “The claws?”

“They’re all you,” she said, and lowered her hands to his shoulders. “Just as your eyes are you, and your strength is you. Just as your dark hair and soft skin is you on moonless nights, and the marks on your face are you when the energy pushes you too far. It’s all you, Inuyasha. It doesn’t matter what you look like; I love you.”

The look that always passed over his face when she said that—adoration, disbelief, gratefulness, and love all in equal measures—never failed to make her heart ache. But he sighed before she could make too much of it, curling his arms around her and burying his head in her chest again.

“But it’s not just what I look like. It’s how I think. How I act. It should embarrass you.”

“I’ll admit they’re not your most _attractive_ qualities,” she said, but tightened her grip to keep him from pulling away. “But when you snuffle around in the dirt, or chase the things we throw, or – or I don’t know… when you crouch in the dirt with your hands forward! They’re better habits than some of the things human boys do.”

He snorted derisively. “Like what?”

“Oh, no, we are not comparing you to them,” she said, and he lifted his head just enough to glare at her.

“You brought it up.”

“That’s not the point,” she said primly. “I’m just saying they’re not deal breakers. I mean… you don’t find everything I do attractive, do you?”

He blushed and lowered his head again. “Not _everything_.”

She inwardly squirmed at the reminder that he found most things she did attractive, but didn’t comment. This was not a good time to indulge her hormones. “I love _you_ , Inuyasha. Doggy traits and all. I mean, I think we might have problems if you actually turned _into_ one, but as long as you don’t ask me to go around on all fours and howl at the full moon, we’re fine.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t feel him smile at that. He just stayed silent, obviously thinking, until she pulled away and lifted her hands to hold his cheeks, where he couldn’t avoid her searching gaze.

“Are you okay, Inuyasha?”

He nodded, and gently lifted her off him before scooting back down on the futon. “Yeah.”

After a moment, she wriggled her way down as well, tucking herself into his side and pulling the blanket up over them. She put her head on his shoulder, where she could feel his breath on her hair, and tried not to worry over the things he hadn’t told her.

 

* * *

 

Like Inuyasha said, things weren’t that different for Shippo.

He still got fed. Inuyasha brought back birds, fish and boars for all of them. Not that anyone was dumb enough to attack their village, but he didn’t feel _un_ safe. Kagome, Miroku and Sango all treated him exactly the same, and it wasn’t like Inuyasha was yelling or growling at him all the time.

In fact, if anything he was a lot nicer. He never growled. Never whacked him over the head, or picked him up just to drop him in the dirt.

But… but it was little things.

Inuyasha didn’t look at him so much. Wasn’t watching him from the corner of his eye.

He didn’t take Shippo fishing. Not that he’d ever _invited_ Shippo along, but normally he would’ve at least made sure Shippo knew and could tag along. These days, Shippo would just wake up and hear from someone that Inuyasha was gone.

He didn’t let Shippo ride on his shoulder, or sit on his lap.

Shippo was pretty sure the others wouldn’t have noticed, because if they were around other people, he didn’t dodge out of the way or push him off. If Shippo ever made it on, he would just be lifted off after a moment, and firmly placed back on the ground.

It was strange.

Kagome, Miroku, Sango, the kids, everyone was still there. But Shippo hadn’t felt so lonely in… in a very long time.

He tried apologising. Went up to Inuyasha, tail lowered and shoulders hunched, and said he was sorry.

“Don’t see why you’re apologising,” Inuyasha replied gruffly. He still didn’t look at him – he was focussed on chopping firewood.

“I didn’t mean it,” Shippo said softly. “Really.”

“Didn’t mean what?”

“I… I don’t want to leave,” he said. “I – I like it here. In the village.”

Inuyasha glanced at him, then snorted and tossed his head. “Good for you. Now get lost, you’re in my way.”

He fidgeted. He knew that hadn’t been what he needed to say, but… but they’d never talked about it. Never said the word. And Inuyasha was so sensitive about being treated like a dog, even though that’s what this really came down to. Inuyasha had dog in him, just like Shippo was a fox. And that mattered sometimes.

“I – I want to stay with you and Kagome,” he said. “L-like Miroku and Sango and their kits.”

“Children,” Inuyasha corrected. “And no one’s stopping you.”

“You are so!” he cried, unable to stop himself. “You don’t want me around!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he snapped, slamming the axe down so he could turn properly. “I’m busy here. Get out of my way.”

He was all alpha, in a way he probably didn’t even know, furious and protective and Shippo was on the entirely wrong side of it. In fact, he could only stand up to it for maybe three seconds before he ran for it, barely able to keep back tears.

**Author's Note:**

> The 48 are a collection of unfinished and/or pointless fics saved to my hard drive, now posted to Ao3 (when real life isn't being an emotional drain) for other people's interest or if they should wish to adopt them.
> 
> Shippo was a character that I really struggled with a lot of the time. I really liked his relationship with Inuyasha, and with the exception of Kagome, I think the characters all handled him well, but his presence as a whole... But. He did give an interesting insight into the actual demon world in a way that the others didn't, so there was that. I wish I had more to add to this story, but it's one of those ones that I'm not sure how I'd resolve, so... if you know and want to...?


End file.
